Photos!

Magnetic Island (Townsville) with Jacqui, Adam, and Jill. We are having Pimms on the beach at Horseshoe Bay.

View from the Blue Mountains

The Great Ocean Road - the 12 Apostles

Melbourne with Carol, Mick and Gavin. We stayed with Carol and Mick in St. Kilda. This photo was taken at a great Japanese lunch place in a stylish alleyway downtown. Melbourne has great shops down little alleyways - very unique.

Gavin, Tim and I went to see the Australian Open Tennis. Here are Nadal's biceps.

Tim and I went to Wilson's Promontory - a popular nature getaway for the Melbournians.

Our Itinerary + Ironman NZ

People have asked what our itinerary is:

Australia until 22 Feb (next phase is driving up towards Brisbane to finish off our peak training from 5 Feb - 22 Feb)

New Zealand from 22 Feb to 31 March. We are doing the Ironman on the North Island (Lake Taupo) on the 3rd of March. You can follow our race here: http://www.ironman.co.nz/

We will be travelling in South East Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia) from 4 April (ish) to 30 May. Our plans are very open as we were told not to plan too much until we arrive in Bankok.

We will be in California from 31 May through 25 June (with a week visit in Utah).

Back to sunny London on 26 June, starting work on 2 July!

Melbourne - Sydney - Townsville

Well you have probably heard of the first two- Townsville is a northern city in Queensland- but more about that later.

The 9 hour journey from Melbourne to Sydney was broken up a brief visit to Beechworth. Having been recommended to visit by some close family friends we were glad to break the journey up.

We now recognise that we have a few key weaknesses that prevent us from becoming quicker athletes......the joy of good food and wine. I think we showed great restraint to have only one bottle. We both feel that we had earnt a relaxing evening after a good ride in the hills. Again we were lucky has some of the areas around Beechworth had been underthreat from fires. Luckily most are now under control and the threat has passed with some unseasonal rain showers. It almost felt like home (both the rain and the locals complaining about the weather).

On to Sydney.....Steve and Lisa have been great hosts and have allowed us to stay with them. Fine wine and good food is never far away.

We now feel we know Centennial Park like the back of our hands- its a great park to train in- almost 5km in diameter. Having run 4 times round and then 10 laps on the bike the next day I wouldn't mind if we found another route when we are in Sydney.

In an attempt to stay fresh we have had a number of massages. A Chinese chop shop massage in Kings Cross left Shannon underwhelmed and me battered and bruised. I think I was stiffer when I came out.

Townsville- travelling has given us the chance to catch up with the numerous friends that have returned home from stints in the UK. It has been great to see Jacqui on her home turf and to share the beauty of Magnetic (Maggie Island). Gorgeous beaches and lovely walks made us both feel as if were were really on holiday and able to relax. To make us feel at home I got sunburnt again and shared a bottle of Pimms with our new Aussie friends.

Now that we have got over the shark phobia we only have to deal with the stingers (of which there are plenty) and the salties (crocs)......

Tomorrow off to dive the Great Barrier Reef and later in the week some rafting.

We are both pretty jaded after a 3 hour run around Townsville. At 32 degrees (90F) and high humidity it would be fair to say we weren't setting any land speed records. It was a great run and a great chance to see the Quarantine Reserve, Castle Hill and a local nature reserve.

Australia Part One!

Dear All

Hope you are all well and Happy New Year to you all.

A few things to dispell the rumours-

Firstly- flying over new year's eve is not a raucous party. In fact is was quite a quiet affair- but probably sensible bearing in mind we were in the air for so long. Secondly- we left on NY Eve with torrential rain and arriving in Sydeny on the 2nd Jan- were greeted with torrential rain as we left the airport. Luckily since then the weather has been great- allowing Shannon & I to do all things we would like.

Unsurprising there has been a sporting element to our travels- cricket at the SCG and the Australian Open were both fantastic. Unlike Wimbledon they had to stop play as it was too hot and they had to bring the cover over the centre court to continue play. As for cricket- probably the least said the better but it was a fun day and we meet up with some friends from London that we have not seen for a while.

Training is going well and we are pretty much sticking to the schedule. The biking here is amazing- literally going for a 4 hour ride with less than 50 cars passing us. We are having to get on the road by 7.30 otherwise it gets too hot- however to have so few cars around is wonderful. We do however have to avoid the road kills- ranging from Kangeroo. wombatt, cats and birds. Fortunately the first kangeroo we saw was alive and skipped happily into the forest. We have seen a snake that was 'potentially fatal' from the safe confines of the car- the doors were locked and the windows securely up (we will never be accused of being country folk).

So far we have spent time in both Sydney, Melbourne and coastal towns in between.

Having never been to Sydney we loved running round the city to see the sites and get some great views. We also had a wedding that seemed to take in all the great views. A quiet night was had by all.

Melbourne- has a distinctly different feel to it. More laid back and quite chilled, with a smaller town feel. Both have been fun since we have been staying with friends. We are now on the Great Ocean Road east of Melbourne. Stunning views and we our first surf lesson later today....we will let you know how it goes.

In between we have been 'roughing it' in YHA's and a bit of camping. The YHA's here are really very good and allows us to prepare our own foods. Narooma is certainly worth a visit with surfing, protected bay and very chilled atmosphere. Wilson's Prom (@ Foster) is the most southerly national park on the main land. Only spending one day there was not enough. Perhaps next time on our travels- I wonder how many times we will stay that.

Anyway- hope this has not taken too long for you to read. We hope you are well and look forward to hearing your news.

All the best

Tim & Shannon